Soar! The Story of Pit
by R-a-g-n-e-l-l-s
Summary: Why is it that Pit can't fly? And why is he the only angel in Palutena's army? This is the story of the flightless angel, his triumphs, his struggles. The reason that he fights, and how he learned to soar. (OC x OC) (Family!Pit x OC) Takes place before and during the events of the first Kid Icarus game. (I suck at summaries)
1. Prologue: Grounded Souls

_Darkness is a powerful force. And although light is the only thing that can drive it out, sometimes… it just isn't enough. We Gods can become wrapped up in our own ways - striving for power, wanting to become the greatest. But sometimes… we fly too close to the sun_.

* * *

Prologue: Grounded Souls

Astrid was having a pretty fantastic day. Her long crimson braid darted out behind her as she ran, like a fire that burned as passionately as her internal one. Flexing her plush wings in the Skyworld sun, Astrid took in the busy sights of the prospering heavenly city around her. Children chased each other playfully and laughter among friends filled the marketplace. The large marble temples and gathering places around the city stood proudly, their white walls emanating a friendly glow. As one of the captains of Lady Palutena's royal guard, Astrid was expected to be fairly serious all the time. But she just couldn't ever see herself being like her other fellow officers, seeing as they all looked so sour all the time. No, as far as Astrid was concerned, it was her job as an angel to spread light, and what better way to that than to simply smile? Well it's true that her kind were created to be warriors, elite guardians of Palutena's light and all that is good, Astrid thought she was the only one to really understand what it meant. She straightened her Officer's toga and golden laurel crown as she quickened her pace to Palutena's temple, where she had been summoned for a very important meeting.

"Lady Palutena!" she yelled excitedly as she burst through the doors, "Sorry for being late, but there was an old lady who needed help carrying a large box and I-"

"Would you save the excuses Astrid? Maybe instead of wasting your energy thinking of a good excuse, you could instead focus it on arriving to your appointments on time." Astrid whipped her head around to acknowledge the captain who was currently reprimanding her. Her emerald eyes met with a pair of stormy gray ones. He had a sharp jaw and wore his signature frown. His jet black hair was swept into a low ponytail with a few loose strands left to frame his face. His uniform mirrored Astrid's, making them the same elite rank. Before she could respond, an elegant, yet commanding voice beckoned to her.

"Let her be, Soren. She was training the new recruits today. Plus, this is a very exciting day for her." Astrid faced the front of the temple to see Lady Palutena, the goddess of light, perched gracefully atop her ivory throne. Her green hair was a meadow atop her head, and her cream colored dress hugged her curves and flowed elegantly to her ankles.

"Yeah, Soren, today's the day I finally get to become a guardian!" Astrid exclaimed in excitement. "We're going to be best friends, this newbie and I. I'll teach him everything that I know, and someday, he's going to fly higher than all of the others! You'll see!" Palutena's eyes sparkled with pride. It seemed like so long ago since Astrid was appointed to her position. For she remembered when she was a little fledgling, itching to get off the ground and fly. And although her co-captains may not always agree with her… unique traits, the goddess believed that there was no other angel better suited for the job.

Soren immediately cut down Astrid's enthusiasm with a glare. "I hope I don't need to remind you how important this new assignment is. You're going to be completely responsible for this new angel's future. It's your job to guide him down the path of light and help him through his early training until his wings grow in." Astrid knew better than to respond. After all, she had known the grumpy angel ever since before their wings had grown in; she knew better than to cross him further.

After the tension in the room died down, Palutena guided the red-headed angel to the place where souls worthy of rebirth were turned into angels.

"Astrid," Lady Palutena inquired, "do you know why I began to reincarnate souls into angels?"

The captain looked up dutifully, "To protect the realm of light and spread its influence to other realms, ma'am!" Palutena nodded seriously.

"Yes. But there is another reason. Sometimes, I believe there are some souls who die too early. Some that deserve more time. And that is why I bring them back. So that they can continue to live… because they deserve it." She trailed off as she slowed her pace. Eventually, the two came to a halt. Palutena gazed out at the azure sky where the new recruits took flight for the first time before turning abruptly to face her loyal servant. "Astrid," she began, "this soul that you will take charge of is an example of this. He was a child. He deserved so much more. And I trust that you will give him the life that was taken from him." Astrid nodded solemnly. While it's true that angels didn't remember anything of their past life, Astrid always felt that twinge of jealousy at humans, some suppressed, tiny part of her being coiled in envy at the sight of them. Almost as if she had been duped out of something. But the feeling would leave as quickly and suddenly as it surfaced.

Astrid clenched her fist tightly. This time though, it would be different. She would make sure this little fledgling would never feel that… that emptiness. She would make his new life a happy one and by the Gods, she would make him strong. The strongest of them all. This little angel wasn't just going to fly. He was going to soar.


	2. Part I: Colliding Visions

Part I: Colliding Visions

Wide azure eyes gazed up in wonder at the spacious sky above him. The tiny angel sat perched on top of one of the many grassy hills that rose and fell like a soaring bird through the heavenly landscape. He breathed in the clean air and absorbed it with every fiber of his being. The sky was so massive above him, stretching forever. The young angel longed to take flight some day, and to explore the vast horizon in the distance. He stood on his toes and stretched his wings. They were still tiny, not yet able to support his weight in full flight. Astrid had told him that they'd grow soon though. His feet were ensconced by the plush grass beneath him and his wings began to spread and catch the gentle breeze. He closed his eyes and basked in the feeling of the wind blowing in between his downy feathers, filling his very being. _Just a little farther,_ he thought as he almost felt himself lift off of the ground. _Just a little more, and then I can finally…_ His thoughts were interrupted by a particularly strong gust of wind that came from behind.

"Wh-Whooaaa!" The fledgling screamed in shock as he lost his balance and rolled down the hill where he stood before. When he came to a halt, he stared up at the sky in a rather dazed state until he was pulled out of it by the sound of jubilant laughter. And he could recognize that obnoxious snort anywhere. The little angel narrowed his bright eyes before he quickly sat up and whipped his head around angrily, searching for the source of the sudden laughing fit.

"Astrid! You rotten dream-crusher! Where are you?!" The fledgling squeaked. Before he could get on his feet, he was tackled by a large, redheaded blur from the air.

"Hey! Careful around the wings, ya know! I'm gonna need these someday!" the little angel yelled. Astrid loved to tease him because of his tiny little voice. But she knew better than to push him too far, for underneath that adorable exterior was a being of might and pure wrath. Well, that's what he identified himself as anyway.

The elder angel climbed off of the younger one and smiled innocently. "Well, Pit, maybe if you would have been paying attention, I wouldn't have scared you so badly." The redhead chided. "Besides, don't be such a wimp. You're going to be the strongest angel in the entire guard some day."

Pit looked up at the esteemed captain with a smirk. "You're right, even stronger than you! Wait and see old lady," the little cherub began as he raised his fist to the sky, "I'm going to be flying circles around you once my wings grow in!"

Astrid's eye twitched with annoyance at the unwanted nickname before she gazed at her charge. A multitude of emotions swirled in her emerald irises: Pride, hope, but most of all, pure, unadulterated love. She lifted a strong hand and ruffled his messy brown hair affectionately. "I know you will be." She said seriously as she looked into his eyes. Pit's mischievous grin vanished from his face in a brief moment of surprise before it was replaced with a grateful, genuine smile.

Astrid placed a hand on Pit's shoulder as she began guiding him back to town. "Come on little boy," she said, putting emphasis on her own nickname for the young angel, "Let's get you cleaned up. You have grass all over you."

~x~

Soren was a pretty simple angel. He liked it when things were orderly and followed a logical process. He actually considered himself to be a fairly logical being. That's why being a warrior as well as a captain made sense to him. It was a matter of cause and effect: you train harder, you get stronger. You train soldiers well, they become effective in the field. Simplicity. Yes, everything in Soren's life as an angel has always made sense. Except one thing, one little nagging thing that no matter how hard he tried to ignore, it was always right there in his face. And that thing was Astrid. At this point, Soren didn't even know where, how, or when he and the bubbly angel had become friends. It just sort of happened, and neither of them really questioned it; although, the stoic angel thought about Astrid a lot more than he'd care to admit. Many of the co-captains expected as much, and even Palutena had suspicions that Soren had a soft spot for the spunky warrior, but knew better than to bring it up. For they all were well aware of the awesome power of Soren's famous icy death stare.

And Soren had always been quite proud of his stoic armor, it all but impenetrable except to one certain girl. But recently, Soren's found that another chink has been making it's way into his facade. And who else would it be but the unreasonably peppy angel that was always at Astrid's side? If you were to ask Soren what he thought of the happy little cherub, he'd simply call him "an obnoxious and illogically giddy ball of hot air." But everyone else, Pit included, knew that the black-haired captain was actually quite fond of the fledgling.

Naturally, due to spending so much time with them, Soren should really be able to expect the unexpected when it came to those two. Like the time when the duo wrecked Lady Palutena's birthday when they poisoned the entirety of the royal guard by mistaking a bottle of cleaning solution for the vanilla extract used in the cake, or when they dyed the entirety of his wardrobe sparkly pink because it "complimented his complexion." Idiots. The both of them. But as Lady Palutena had pointed out after complimenting him in his new look, they were his idiots.

With all of that being said, Soren really shouldn't have been surprised when he saw Astrid and Pit forcing the entirety of the royal guard to do the Hokey Pokey for today's warm-up. Soren shuddered as he anticipated how today's training would go. _Palutena, give me strength._

~x~

"So you're telling me that you've never once watched the sunrise?"

Soren stared blankly at his companion that sat beside him. "Why would I want to do that? It seems illogical to want to wake up that early and deprive my body of the rest that it needs."

Astrid quirked a brow at the other angel's statement. "Oh? So the mighty captain Soren needs his beauty sleep then?" she asked teasingly. A light blush dusted Soren's pale cheeks before he turned away with an indignant huff. "Oh, that must be the real reason then! What do you think Pit?" Astrid inquired mischievously to the child that sat in her lap.

"I think he's just being a huge baby. If I can wake up early, he can! Unless, that means I'm already stronger than him." Pit remarked with a smirk.

"OHHHHHHHH!" Astrid yelled as she stood up, taking Pit with her and sitting him atop her shoulders. "SMACKDOWN DELIVERED BY THE SHRIMPY ANGEL!" Astrid spun around in circles while Pit clung to her neck while giggling uncontrollably. "What's your comeback for that one, ya big nerd?"

Soren stared at the pair in awe while he suppressed a smile. Astrid's long braid twirled around elegantly like a delicate piece of fine silk. She was glowing with laughter. "Fine! If it'll stop your annoying gloating, I'll wake up early with you morons tomorrow, happy?"

Astrid stopped spinning and faced the male angel challengingly. "Well, Pit. It seems as though Soren here is up for our little challenge." she put Pit down gently and grasped his hand. She then proceeded to march over to where the black-haired angel sat and leaned in close to his face. Soren gasped slightly in shock at their close proximity and his blush became more apparent. "See ya tomorrow then, nerd" Astrid whispered in his ear, making him suppress a shudder. And then, Skyworld's most unpredictable angel lived up to her title for the umpteenth time that day when she placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

Soren watched as the duo walked away, giggling again at something the other had said. He unconsciously reached his hand up to his cheek, where her lips had rested. Soren's mouth turned into a rare smile. _Maybe, _he pondered, _getting up a little early won't be so bad after all._

~x~

"_Hurry Pit, you have to run faster!" Astrid said as she grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled him along as they sprinted through the dark alley. The acrid smell of smoke filled Pit's nostrils and made his eyes water. There was fire everywhere and the screams of the dying filled the air. Pit dared to look behind him and saw a horde of grotesque monsters quickly closing in on them._

_Soon, the pair came to a steep cliff. Astrid turned to the terrified child and knelt down to his level. She put her hands on his shoulders as the swallowed thickly. "Pit," she began, "listen to me. We need to jump. Everything is going to be okay. Just hold on to me, and I'll protect you."_

_Pit nodded in understanding as he grabbed her hand and prepared to make the leap. Before the duo could take another step, a loud crackle was heard from behind. Pit whipped his head around to see a monster shoot a bolt of lightning out of his singular eye. The impact of the blast sent both of them tumbling over the edge of the cliff, separating their linked hands Pit furiously tried to flap his tiny wings, but to no avail. The air around him seem heavy and foreboding as it pulled him downwards, much different from the air he had basked in earlier that day. He faintly heard Astrid's frantic screaming from above him as he rapidly approached the ground._

Pit sat up abruptly, untangling himself from the bed sheets that had constricted him and held him down. He took large gulps of air, filling his lungs to their capacity. He had no idea how to react to or process what had just happened, so he did the first thing to come to mind. He cried. Pit wailed as loudly as he could, filling the quiet room with pure agony. He then felt a gentle pair of arms wrap around him and hold him closely. He cried into in guardian's embrace as her shirt became wet with tears.

"It's okay Pit," Astrid cooed, "you just had a nightmare. Everything is going to be okay. You're safe with me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Over time, Pit's sobs died down as he breathed raggedly. He grasped Astrid's shirt tightly as the memories of his night terror slowly began to fade away.

The little angel tilted his head up until his eyes met Astrid's. "Astrid… what will I do if I'm in trouble, and you aren't there?"

The eldest angel smiled warmly at the other. "Pit, you are strong. Not just physically, but your very soul emanates strength. It burns brighter than any I've ever seen before. You will be the one people turn to when all seems lost. Only you will be able to shoulder all of those expectations. You will be the last light that shines in the darkness. And you will fly farther and higher than anyone else."

Pit smiled sleepily as he laid his head on her chest. Pit yawned before murmuring, "The last light that shines in the darkness? But I won't have to be alone, Astrid. I have you and Soren, and everyone else too. You'll be right there to help me get off the ground."

Astrid tightened her grip on the now-sleeping boy in her arms. "Yes, you do have us. But if and when the time comes for you to fly on your own, you will. Even if your body won't allow it, your soul will still find a way to soar."


	3. Part II: Tidal Wave

Part II: Tidal Wave

Pit woke to the sound of lively birds chirping outside his window. He gradually opened his eyes and stretched his tiny wings while taking in the crisp morning air. He exhaled with a satisfied sigh before getting out of bed. He glanced out his window and noticed that the sky was still quite dark, and the heavenly city was still very much asleep. He questioned why he was even up at such an hour. _That's right,_ he thought as realization dawned upon him, _today we're going to watch the sunrise with Soren_.

The angel's thoughts drifted to the stoic young captain. Pit thought love and romance was all pretty gross, I mean, girls were just so weird. (Except Astrid, of course) And although Pit didn't know, and didn't really want to know, much about love, he was almost certain that it had something to do with the way Astrid and Soren looked at each other.

Pit's thoughts were interrupted when a rambunctious voice echoed through the halls. "PIT! Where are you? If we don't hurry, the sun will rise without us! Not to mention Soren will chew us out for sure if we're late!" Pit smiled as he turned and walked towards the voice of his guardian. When he reached the entryway of the house he found Astrid standing near the door with a red scarf in her hand. Although the house was dark, due to the early hour, Astrid's very being seemed to illuminate the entire house. In Pit's opinion, Astrid could light up the entire world with her smile without even breaking a sweat.

"You might want to wear a scarf. It's pretty chilly outside, you can just borrow mine for now." Astrid said with a brilliant smile. She reached her arms around Pit's fragile neck to ensconce it in downy comfort. The tiny angel glanced out the window as the fire-haired angel button up his coat. He saw several tiny birds being lead by their mother to the nest's edge. Pit's face lit up as he realized that this would be the little bird's first time flying.

One by one, the fledglings lept off of their perch and took to the sky. The mother bird seemed proud as her children soared through the air on their new wings. Pit's eyes filled with bliss and well as determination. Some day, with a little help from Astrid, he'd be able to fly just like them. Pit was pulled out of his contemplation by a knock at the door. Astrid turned her head to look at the homey wooden structure.

"Weird," she remarked with a frown, "I thought I remembered telling Soren to meet us up at the hill." The esteemed captain shrugged it off and donned her signature smile before turning to look at Pit, giving him am assuring wink and strutting towards the door. She was about halfway to the threshold before the door opened on its own. Soren was not standing there.

~x~

Soren looked at his watch impatiently. Honestly, where were those two? If they didn't hurry, they'd miss the sunset all together! The raven-haired captain looked pensively from his position on the hill at the quiet city below him. He knew within the next hour or so, it would be bustling and filled with life. But now, Soren could truly appreciate the serenity and calm beauty of the city that stretched out all around him.

The captain huffed impatiently before deciding to go look for the dynamic duo. He estimated that if he left now, he'd probably have time to drag them back to this spot before the sun was scheduled to peak over the horizon. 'Although,' Soren thought to himself as he allowed a rare smile to grace his features, 'I suppose I wouldn't mind grabbing her by the hand and dragging her.'

For the first time in his life, Soren felt as though he was perfectly centered. He was completely aware of the world around him. He could feel every spirit and every drop of energy around him. He looked straight in front of him proudly as he pondered upon what his future could hold. A future with Astrid. Soon afterwards, his body was overcome with a sudden wave of warmth as the sun peaked over the horizon just behind him. He shielded his eyes and squinted towards the horizon while the beautiful sunrise that commenced before him. He exhaled in both awe and defeat, as he realized that Astrid had been right... For once.

His genuine surprise of Astrid knowing something that he did not quickly dissipated, though, as he realized that she and her sidekick hadn't even showed up this morning.

_Honestly, I'm not really sure what I expected, _he thought with a knowing smile, _looks like I'll have to march over there and demand some answers._ Without any warning, Soren's ears were assaulted by a blaring siren coming from the town.

"That's… the raid alarm. But why..?" Soren remarked aloud as he stumbled over his whirling thoughts. Upon further inspection, he was able to detect a few columns of smoke coming from the city. An unfriendly gust of wind filled his eyes and nose with acrid smoke as he recoiled in disgust. As he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to rid himself of the unpleasant assailant, he felt the ground shake as two explosions sounded in the direction of the densely populated heavenly city. When he opened his stormy eyes, he watched in horror as Skyworld burned, massive pillars of black smoke coiling off of the divine city like serpents.

Soren darted towards the chaos at full speed with only one goal in mind. In any other situation, Soren would have followed his duties as a captain to the tee, concerning himself with evacuating the citizens and Lady Palutena's safety, but love has a way of changing people in drastic ways, and there was only a single word that screamed at him and demanded to be heard:

_Astrid..!_


End file.
